


Like a Hard Candy with a Surprise Center

by onionrings_andhoneymustard



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-27 21:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20767358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onionrings_andhoneymustard/pseuds/onionrings_andhoneymustard
Summary: It’s an unexpected heat wave in October that traps Buck in memories of that summer.  Summer for him will always be characterized by that year.  That last summer in Santa Monica with its record highs and last taste of uncertainty before he moved up the coast to a shitty one-bedroom apartment, college, and a degree.  The last summer before he left a career in firefighting firmly behind himself.





	Like a Hard Candy with a Surprise Center

It’s an unexpected heat wave in October that traps Buck in memories of that summer. Summer for him will always be characterized by that year. That last summer in Santa Monica with its record highs and last taste of uncertainty before he moved up the coast to a shitty one-bedroom apartment, college, and a degree. The last summer before he left a career in firefighting firmly behind himself.

The air’s hot against his skin, infiltrating his bones. It dries out his lips, his underarms, the creases of his elbows. It reminds him of that summer, and Eddie. Nostalgia sinks into his gut like a fish hook, tugging almost painfully at his insides.

\-----

They fall into each other gradually.

Without work—without that guarantee of seeing each other—they have to make an effort to spend time together. Eddie calls more than Buck does, at first. Has to show Buck that he still means something to him before Buck believes it.

They take Christopher to the park, attend free concerts in the Plaza, and purchase enough smoothies at Renovo they lose count of how many punch cards they go through. Sometimes, they just hang out. Usually at Eddie’s place, where Buck quietly rearranges the kitchen cupboards to mirror his own, and where Eddie gets in the habit of asking, “Do you want anything while I’m up?” before he’s walked away from the couch.

At some point, Buck becomes Eddie’s running buddy on Eddie’s mornings off while a neighbor watches Christopher. The movement feels good, clears his mind as the sun warms the air and their shoes hit the pavement in tandem. He uses Eddie’s shower afterward, while Eddie does push-ups in the living room. Sometimes, he’ll make them breakfast as Eddie takes his turn in the shower. Christopher likes it when he makes pancakes most, suggesting animals for him to try to shape out of the batter.

The days trip by, morning runs and afternoon popsicles turn into waking up in the same bed and visits to the grocery store for ingredients to make dinner. They begin to spend more hours together than apart. One day they’re Buck and Eddie, the next they’re Eddie&Buck.

\-----

They agree that the change in the nature of their relationship doesn’t actually change much between them, except how it does.

\--

Eddie takes it upon himself to not let Buck venture into the community pool before he slathers sunscreen onto Buck’s fair skin, rubbing it in with calloused fingertips and palms. When Buck tries to move past him before the thirty-minute waiting period is up, he sidesteps in front of him and raises his eyebrows, pointing to the large white clock hanging on the outside of the building housing the changing rooms.

“That’s just an advisory, Eddie.”

“Better safe than sorry, don’t you think? You don’t see me letting Christopher _buck_ the rules - pun intended”

The eye roll Buck gives in response is mostly for show; it’s nice to be cared about.

\--

“Can I borrow this?” is how Buck begins sleeping in Eddie’s old T-shirts and discarding them on the floor in the morning. Eddie doesn’t mind, enjoying how they manage to smell like the two of them—a soft, spicy, sweetness.

\--

One morning Eddie finds a new, metal whisk in his sink with raw-egg residue clinging to the curves. Buck glances over from his place at the stove—while Eddie’s turning it over, mouth pinched in curiosity—and mentions how he’s sick of using Eddie’s “_awfully_ inconvenient plastic whisk when metal does the job better,” so he’d brought his over. Eddie says thank you with his arms around Buck’s waist and lips resting on the curve of his neck.

\--

Each Saturday night is movie night. Christopher picks the first movie, and they pick one for themselves to watch after they send him to bed. They share red licorice, sour gummy worms, and a big bowl of popcorn (it is, Eddie admits, more junk food than he should probably allow). Once Christopher has gone to sleep, they truly settle in and press against each other. Often, halfway through it, the movie is forgotten as their hands wander and mouths slot together. It’s anyone’s guess if they’ll make it to the bedroom or not; most of the time they don’t.

\-----

Summer unwinds, and before long the countdown of days are all X-ed off on Buck’s calendar. He had decided to go back to college long before he and Eddie became … well, before they became them. He can’t say if that makes it harder or easier to leave.

That afternoon, they have a picnic in the park. Christopher reads on a blanket beside them as they lay back to look up at the sky. It’s an unfairly gorgeous blue, only wisps of clouds scattered across it, and the air is still - almost oppressive. They don’t say anything as their hands link between them on the grass.

There’s a slow kiss late that night on Eddie’s back porch. It says everything neither can put into words.

\--

It’s beautiful the next morning, when Buck says goodbye and leaves.

\-----

Like many aspects of their relationship, the fallout is unexpected. But it happens.

Buck’s time is eaten up by school, work, and a budding social life he hadn’t been expecting to have. Eddie has work and Christopher’s back in school, and life slowly takes over. It’s neither one’s fault.

Despite their best efforts, silences begin to stretch long on the phone and the frequency of texts slowly decreases. It’s no longer everything, and after a few months they’re back to being Buck and Eddie. They still talk on occasion, but the tone has somehow shifted. With time, it becomes okay.

\-----

The heat fades out within a week, but the memories stick to Buck’s brain like wet tissue paper. They’re enough for Buck to make the day-long drive down to Santa Monica. He doesn’t tell anyone he’s on his way, adjusting his rearview mirror with an anxious butterfly of hope trapped in his throat.

Eddie’s moved in the time Buck’s been away, signaled by the change in return address on the Christmas card Eddie sent last year. Buck pulls up in front of the house—white, with a dark green door and a _“hello!”_ welcome mat—and swallows twice before he can make himself shut off his truck and get out.

He raps sharply on the front door, knuckles stinging faintly from the contact. When Eddie opens the door, Buck watches a myriad of expressions flicker across his face. But they all give way to a soft smile that reaches Eddie’s eyes. Buck smiles back, and it feels like summer.


End file.
